Bittersweet Nothings
by Chocobubbles
Summary: Speedy and Bumblebee had the usual quarrel, but today it led to a little something more.


Today it was actually sunny, which was very unusual. It was odd because as you know, Steel City hadn't really named itself after reasons indicating bright and cheerful weather. Perhaps today the sun had decided to pay it a visit, having neglected it for so long.

Titans East were training outside the tower today, and being in the midst of clean, fresh air seemed to be doing them quite a lot of good. Mas and Menos were moving faster than usual, if that was possible, and Aqualad was gliding through the water with a smooth gracefulness that had a rabid crowd of fangirls swooning dreamily on the opposite bay.

Bumblebee was flitting about, her wings beating furiously against the sky. Speedy watched her intensely, mindfully aiming his arrows at his swift teammate. With each fire she jerked herself sharply to dodge, and swooped in for a full-frontal assault with her stingers.

Speedy smiled.

"Being a little bold today, BEE—"

She round-kicked him to the side of his head and sent him flying into a tree.

"—otch...?" he barely finished his sentence as he hung dazedly from the branch, too surprised to be embarrassed. Having finally soaked in the aftermath of her attack, he narrowed his eyes at her through his mask, his expression glazed with a mix of anger and self-pity.

"You got a problem, lazy-ass?" she asked, hands resting on her hips as she swayed her body cheekily. He growled.

"No," he spat coldly, "I just didn't think you were the type to fight dirty."

She frowned and walked over to the suspended boy, grabbing him by his boot and yanking him down to the ground, on which he landed with a _thud_.

"First of all," she said tartly, "that wasn't a dirty move. It was completely fair—you were just poorly prepared. Second, I was bred at HIVE…if it had been a dirty move, you should have been expecting it, lazy-ass. So I guess you're just ignorant all-around."

Speedy scowled, "It's too early to deal with your crap anyway."

He stood up and brushed himself off, storming back towards the Tower.

Bumblebee didn't stop him. She simply remarked, "Boy, you really are a sore loser."

He froze in mid-step, then slowly turned around to face her. He marched back up to her, getting right in her face. She didn't flinch.

"I'm _not_ a sore loser," he stated, "_you're_ just a cheater."

"I'm not a cheater and you know it, Speedy." she retorted. Aqualad, Mas, and Menos had all stopped to watch the display that was occurring between their two most short-tempered teammates.

"Not again…" groaned Aqualad.

"_Si, Aye, aye, aye!_" complained Mas and Menos, sporting two matching faces of exasperation.

"You always have to be the perfect one, huh Bee? You _always_ have to show everyone you're better than me." Speedy said, eyeing her dangerously.

"I'm doing no such thing. You're talking nonsense." she replied firmly.

"Oh right, because nothing _I _say matters."

"Just relax, will you?"

"Don't _tell me_ to relax!"

With that he had stomped his way into the tower, the doors slamming behind him.

"What a hothead…" said Bumblebee innocently, arms crossed leisurely. She then turned to her other three teammates, who were not pleased in the least.

"What?" she inquired.

"You know." said Aqualad, looking at her with a hint of disappointment.

"_What?_"

"Speedy."

"What about him?"

"Go talk to him."

"What in the—no! I will not go talk to that irascible moron! This whole thing is his fault!"

"_Bee_." He looked at her with those all-knowing eyes that she absolutely hated. It made her feel regretful and guilty, but she knew she had done nothing to deserve it. After all, _he_ had overreacted. _He_ had stormed out. She hadn't done anything.

"Fine!" she yelled angrily, wondering why she was giving in to water-boy in the first place. Her mind was screaming at her to just continue training by herself, but Aqualad's glare was extremely persuasive sometimes. The twins were beaming next to him, and she had a pretty good idea why, but she thought it best to leave that subject alone.

Her wings flicked hastily and she whipped around, walking back to the Tower, dreading the conversation that was to come.

---

"SPEEDY!"

The Tower was silent. No response came after her call, but she just kept repeating herself. After the fourth time she yelled his name, she was still greeted by the same irritating quietness. She had looked everywhere for him, and had even checked his room (being the mighty and all-powerful leader she was, she had the key).

Finally, she walked down to the basement, which served as their gym for most of the time. She found him sitting on the floor, rubbing his foot gingerly; a couple of weights were scattered around him.

"What happened?" she asked, slowly approaching him. He ignored her, and she sat down in front of him.

"I said, _what happened?_" she said again.

"None of your freaking business!" he snapped.

She immediately countered, "I'm trying to help you, you insensitive bastard!"

He ignored her again. She sighed.

"I just don't understand you sometimes, lazy-ass."

She leaned back on her arms and stared at him. There was still no reply, but that gave Bumblebee a chance to actually see what was wrong. His foot was red and swollen. She could barely see it as he was trying to cover it up with his hands. Putting two and two together, she concluded he had accidentally dropped a weight on his foot out because he had been so mad.

"Goddamnit," he growled, "It hurts so much."

Bumblebee stood up suddenly, and rushed to the other side of the room. She fiddled with some sort of contraption on the wall, and then unlatched it. Walking back over with it cradled in her arms, Speedy realized it was a first aid kit.

"Hold still." she ordered as she opened the metal box and pulled out a bottle and a roll of bandage.

"What are you going to do with that?" he asked.

"We're going to play ancient Egypt and you're going to be the mummy—what do you _think_ I'm going to do with it?"

Not giving him a chance to retort with some snooty remark, she carefully took his foot in her lap and squirted out an ample amount of liquid from the bottle. She scrubbed it onto his foot and dried it, and then wrapped it with the white bandage.

"What was that stuff you put on my foot?" he asked.

"Sanitizer—to keep it clean. It'll kill the bacteria and prevent it from getting infected. The bandage is obvious, but there's one last thing I have to do."

She laid his foot on the floor, and he restrained himself from saying "ow", as a dull pain shot through his body. She seemed to notice this, and gave him an apologetic look. He attempted a little half-smile.

She walked to the fridge, which held energy drinks and what not, usually used to cool the team down after a hard work-out. She took a bag of ice out of the freezer, and went to go sit back down next to Speedy. She handed him the bag, and he pressed it against his foot, lightly hissing from the cold contact.

"This is cold." he stated flatly.

"Well that's usually how ice is." she replied. Her remark wasn't condescending this time. It was almost teasing.

"Yeah…hey Bee?" he said.

"Yeah?"

"You really are a bitch sometimes." he said. Her fists clenched at her sides, but she restrained the need to throttle him ten feet under.

"I know, but you really are an asshole." she said calmly.

"I know," he said, "and I'm sorry. What happened out on the training ground earlier—I was just being stupid. You know that, right?"

She laughed, "Of course I did. You're always being stupid."

He frowned sadly and looked to the side, "But that's exactly it…it's like you think I can never be serious. I can be serious—I'm not just some dumb loser who's playing bow and arrow."

She looked at him, taken aback, "I never said you couldn't be serious, and I definitely don't think you're a loser."

"I'm just as good as Robin."

The comment threw her off, and she just sat there, a hundred of possible replies coming to her mind but not registering enough to play out of her mouth. _Just as good as Robin?_ she thought, _Where did that come from?_ She thought he was just being cranky. She had no idea…

Then, out of complete and total nowhere—right out of the blue,

she kissed him.

Her lips were warm and soft on his dry cheek, and after she was done, he felt the skin where she had touched, his eyes wide with shock.

"You're not _just as_ good as Robin. You're better." she said.

She was blushing madly, and looking at the ground. He couldn't help but smirk.

"Wow. Corny, much?"

"I know," she said, winking, "but it's true."

He leaned back on his elbows and stared up at the ceiling.

"Then tell me this: If I'm better, than why didn't Cyborg pick _me_ to be leader?"

Bumblebee bit her lip. She had been hoping that topic would never arise.

"Is that what this is has always been about, Speedy?" she asked softly. He looked at her seriously, the look from his mask intimidating her slightly.

"I…I don't know. I guess it used to be…at least when I was angry. But now I'm not angry anymore…just curious."

Bumblebee rubbed her shoulder nervously, staring at the newly ordered exercising machine in the corner as if it was the most interesting thing in the world.

"To be honest," she said, "I can't really answer that question with solid facts, and I'm not just being nice. When Cyborg picked me to be the leader, I knew he was making the right choice. I know that sounds pompous, but that's just how I feel. I'm not saying I'm perfect, because I know, and _you_ all know I'm not, but when he left me with the position, it just felt…it just felt like how things should be."

"So you're saying I wouldn't make a good leader?" asked Speedy, hurt evident in his voice.

"Well, I don't know, do I? I'm just saying that this is now, and this is how it happened. If you really want to know the answer, then ask yourself. _Would_ you be a good leader? Do you want to be calling all the shots? Realize Speedy, that just because Robin is the leader of his team doesn't make him the most powerful member. It doesn't make him any better than any of his teammates."

They sat quietly together for about a minute. It wasn't awkward though, just sort of profound.

"I guess, BEE-otch," sighed Speedy, "you're right. I guess I was just a little jealous of the Boy Blunder, that's all."

"So would you want to be leader?" asked Bumblebee.

"Maybe before…but I just sort of wanted to be it because I had spent years living in Green Arrow's shadow—but you know, that doesn't bother me as much anymore. I think being a sidekick bothered Robin a lot more. Maybe he deserves to be leader more than I do. Besides, you do a really good job at it anyway, and I like being the dark, mysterious bad-boy of the team."

"Try 'the arrogant asshole'." said Bumblebee, rolling her eyes. Speedy smirked.

"Come on, you know you agree…"

"Maybe if I was drunk," grumbled Bumblebee, "but as long as we're confessing these deep monologues about ourselves…"

"Yeah?" asked Speedy, raising an eyebrow.

"I used to have a major crush on Robin."

Speedy shot up and in the process accidentally banged his foot against the floor.

"AARGH!" he yelled, rubbing his toes.

Bumblebee giggled.

"You have _got_ to be kidding." said Speedy incredulously.

"Nope. I thought he was _so_ dreamy." Bumblebee sighed, apparently in entranced in her own thoughts about Speedy's rivaling counterpart.

"He abuses his hair gel." muttered Speedy pettily.

"And you don't?" Bumblebee continued, "and he is such a good leader. I wanted to be more like him…and that mask!"

"Uh, _hello?!_" Speedy was right up in her face again, emphasizing the black and white object strapped to his face.

"His is more original."

"We have the same one!"

"He knows kung-fu."

"I can shoot arrows!"

"He complimented me on my stingers once."

"But you kissed _me_."

And that ever occurring familiar silence settled in again.

Bumblebee nodded, "I did."

"So…?"

"So what? I said I _used_ to have a crush on him."

"But now you're with me, right?"

Bumblebee scoffed, "_Excuse me_? I aint your girl."

"Oh don't give me that crap," said Speedy haughtily, "you have been ever since our team formed."

"How so?" asked Bumblebee, thoroughly annoyed.

"Well I mean, it's _right there_. The way you nag me all day long—it's obviously covering up for hot, steamy sexual tension."

"Boy, please."

"I'm serious!" said Speedy, now not even joking anymore, "Everyone would agree."

"Yeah right."

"Sure we're not as obvious as Robin and Starfire, or even Beast Boy and Raven," reasoned Speedy, "but trust me, it's always been there."

"You are _so_ full of yourself!"

"And you just don't get it, do you?" said Speedy, "Do I need to repeat it? _You just kissed me_."

Bumblebee's face turned completely red, "I was only trying to make you feel better!"

"Oh, so if I go break my leg you'll have sex with me?"

She looked scandalized, "Of course not! How could you even think—"

"Come on Honey, you know I'm right." Speedy smiled slyly. Bumblebee in return looked at him with pure disgust. She stood up and put her hands on her hips, swaying them from left to right.

"You know, I just _might_ have a date with Herald tomorrow...or ever Hot Spot!" she said, her tone almost threatening.

"You're bluffing." challenged Speedy.

"I may be…" she said, "or I may not be…"

She turned on her heel and went for the stairs.

"You suck at lying, you know," taunted Speedy, eyes following her ass intently as she made her way up the first few steps, "you are lying, right?"

"I aint talkin' to you." she said, nose up in the air.

"Bumblebee, you get back here!"

"Not listening!"

"Bumblbee, I know where Herald and Hot Spot live!"

"La, la, la, still not listening!"

"If they suddenly and tragically broke all the bones in their body a few days from now, it would be on _your_ conscience!"

"Are you really still talking?"

"Bumblebee! I said, get back down here!"

"Hm, hmm…."

"Bumblebee! I CAN'T STAND UP!"

She shut the door behind her and rejoined the rest of her team outside.

"So how's Speedy?" asked Aqualad.

"Oh you know him," said Bumblebee with a playful grin, "he'll be just fine."

END


End file.
